Poll: PCs or Gaming Consoles?

Despite the fact that consoles have become the primary platform for most gamers, there is still a die-hard fanbase that prefer PCs based on factors like the online experience you get with games like WOW, the level of control that a keyboard and mouse can bring, as well as the potential for better performance. So the question is, where do your loyalties lie? Do you prefer PCs or consoles for gaming?

You can actually get a great gaming system for the cost of a console, so the high price argument only applies for hardcore gamers who need THE BEST everything. I'm a PC gamer first and foremost - but lately I've found myself drawn in to my PS3 more and more because it's just more comfortable to play from the couch. The console is a part of the media/entertainment system, which is where I'm usually located when I want to access media/be entertained. The PC is becoming the productivity tool.

I would play on my computer if I felt like paying hundreds of dollars for hardware upgrades every other year. I'll stick with the one time fee of the console over the constant headaches a PC can offer. Not to say I don't like PC games but I prefer the ease of just having to buy the console and the games and not worry about anything else for 5 years when the next one comes out.

exactly, i don't get these ppl either, everybody is saying rising cost of pc when as a matter of fact things have gotten cheaper and it is now easier than ever to build a pc, unless u just found about pc gaming a few years ago or have been a console gamer exclusively, then u probably know that back in the day voodoo cards cost a whole lot more than today's high 8800s and still used lag on the new 3d games with opengl and 3dfx. Almost every game was impossible to be maxed out in those times so the chunk of us pc gamers had to be satisfied with 640x480 lowest settings, now today look at the heavy competition with hardware slashes here and there, u can get a quad core for what $200? and this technology just came out, newer cards offering bang for buck in the sub $250 price range and prices will drop even further with the release of the 9 series cards and hd4 series to the $100 range, i don't know how many of you want to keep believing that $$$$$ myth which is only true if u rip urself off at alienware and get unnecessary things such as a $300 ugly case and $500 chunky liquid cooling, installations and handling your pc has gotten easier over the years with the improvement of OS, most games are auto patched, halo 2 vista introduced tray and play like consoles which will be implemented in the future Games For Windows titles, back in the day gamepads weren't as popular but now almost every game that comes out for pc has gamepad support and is optimized with rumble for the 360 pad, sixaxis and wiimote/nunchuk can also be used with scripts for games, modding to get infinite replay value, the freedom on the pc platform is priceless,

and then some of them say pc gaming is dying because some developers are jumping ship and sales figures are stagnating in US(only place in the world) completely ignoring the rest of the world and digital distribution, NPD still using a 10 year old model to track an ever evolving industry are used as a reference point to say pc gaming has declined when in fact that recent gaming alliance did research including digital distribution with rough estimates that pc gaming has rather grown and flourished, the holiday season was literally saturated with heavy pc titles and console to pc games, it was flooded and yet most of the games sold really well, the super demanding crysis went over a million proving u don't need a super computer to enjoy it cos even on medium/low, it is an excellent shooter with visuals that rival most console shooters, orange box on pc outsold 360 and ps3 versions combined, why? because they counted digital distribution, and as for developers who are moving from pc to consoles, other developers are also bringing new consoles IPs to pc as well, it's a fair trade, both industries are merging, it's a good thing that all gamers can enjoy all games without b1tching like fanboys that my game is better than yours, just enjoy your games,

everybody seems to forget that a pc is not as limited in abilities as a console when they are making direct price comparisons, a standard dual core, 8800gt/HD3870, 2gb ram rig should run you about $500-$600 and can max every game out there except crysis on ur hdtv with true pixel by pixel hd resolutions of 720 and 1080, u get a machine that does a million things consoles can't do, saves you $10 on every multiplat with superior graphics and modding ability, you get a new powerful pc that enhances ur multitasking ability, an all in one media center workstation, dual core/quad core technologies haven't been tapped into yet so need to upgrade won't be there as much,

Apart from that, ppl complain about headaches such as patches, updates and installs. These things have gotten better not worse. Installs have evolved from strenuous command line sound blaster configs to simple click next next finish installs, it is vice versa for consoles in these fields, now with console gamers waiting on developers to release patches or getting firmware updates and sometimes even installs which might even lead to the hideous idea of upgrading your hard drive, that hassle-free argument is getting less and less relevant as consoles are becoming more like pcs every gen,

It's all a matter of preference, consoles are not definitely cheaper than pcs in value, it's a matter of perspective, it would be more expensive for me to get a console now for my purpose as i can't justify paying $400 just a gaming box that can also play movies, A good high spec pc is a necessity for me and my work/living but a console isn't, I can get a whole more out of my $900 rig than a $400 console, it suits me better and is more convenient to have an all in one device hooked to my hdtv, that's why i like the iphone also(which i use as my wireless mouse via vnc), plus with the tons of console exclusives also crossing over to pc with extra content and slightly cheaper price tags, plus i get to play console classics such as the final fantasy games, kingdom hearts, goldeneye/perfect dark, soul calibur 1, mario/zelda 64, DOA 2 in glorious HD resolutions through emulators, i'm more than satisfied with my pc experience, until i get enough spare change to shell out for a console which may be a ps3, i don't see myself getting one anytime soon

I like both but consoles tent to be cheaper and easier to use in the sense that you don't have to worry about viruses and having to upgrade lots of different pieces of hardware and software. But PCs are great to have when you can play any game up full and there's no slowdown to worry about.

This is a hot topic with me and my best mate. I have a 360, he has a PC.

I do prefer the PC for RTS games but nothing else and i'll tell you why. He has a very good PC, highly spec'd and it cost about £900 when he bought it, thats 4 times what my 360 cost me. Games like COD4, GoW and PES2008 are just not smooth on his PC, and it takes hours of playing with graphics settings, changing OS settings and installation to get the games to run slightly well.

Is he supposed to pay £200 or more to upgrade his PC so it will play the top games smoothly, or just buy a 360 that will do it with no need to upgrade in 6 months? You also get the best controller out there with a 360. Mouse and keyboard is fine if you like point and click games but i dont. I find FPS games too easy on a PC. Point and click, thats it, and using a keyboard for any length of time makes my hands hurt. Plus the space, you cant get 4 mates around his PC to play a 4 player game of Pro Evo. On my 360 we can all lounge in sofas and relax.

Conclusion - PC is good for work, internet and RTS games. Consoles for every other type of game (ever seen a beat-em-up on a PC?)

PS. Also, the piracy in PC gaming makes game developers want to do more for the consoles, so PC games are splipping, and some are terrible console ports.

but i still use my PC to not miss out on any good 360 games, shame NG2 isn't coming to the PC

plus i sometimes forget about my consoles (Wii and PS3) for weeks at a time when i get addicted to CSS again or a random MMORPG like Flyff

but with NCsoft and SOE bringing MMO games to the PS3 then i guess i will only use the PC for Gears 2 (when it comes out eventually, although i probably will have finished it at my friends house by then) Elveon, Frontlines, Mass Effect and some others

the only thing the PS3 needs now is a Counterstrike game with Kb/M support

the thing is that the PS3 does basically all i need from a PC- like web-browsing

and i have Linux running which has a windows emulation program- so i can run quite a few programs

im posting from my PS3 right now- the line between consoles and PC's has gotten real blurry with the launch of the PS3

Crysis is the only exception when system cost becomes ridiculously high

You do NOT have to upgrade every month, week or minute

For first person shooters a PC is the BEST platform you can play on regardless of what anyone says, first person shooters were designed from the ground-up on PC for use with a mouse and keyboard. Racing, RPG, Sports and Action/adventure games were built from the ground-up on consoles.

Both platforms give the best experience when playing the games designed for that platform. I have a PC which I play FPS/RTS games on and a PS3 for Ninja Gaiden, GTA, DMC, GT etc because playing something like GTA on PC is awful to control.

People who say games don't run smooth on pc's. What's the minimum resolution a game is played at on a PC? 1280x1024? What resolution does a console run at? COD4 runs at 1024x600 if I'm correct. I normally play my games at 1600x1200 at max everything. This being the case. Please stop saying that PC's are choppy when it comes to games. You will "NEVER" see 360 or PS3 run at that resolution because it's hardware will never be able to handle much above 1024x600 with decent framerates.

I do enjoy playing games on my PS3 and 360 a lot though, don't get me wrong.

I sit between the 2, both have their good and bad. For about $500-700 you can build a nice PC that runs COD4 on med/high setting, and it come with all other PC functions that you use. Also, games are cheaper(it really adds up when you actually into games).

PC- I still prefer FPS on it, RTS, MMO, emulators. Console - RPG, fighting, racing, TPS, single player games. (FPS can be fun, but still pick PC version if i got the choice.)

PS - Crysis is crap, even if you spend 5k on a rig, it still run like crap.

Think of this. PS3($400) + 360(Now $350) + Wii($250) = $1000. And Yes, I own all 3, and a laptop capable of PC gaming.

The Laptop I have Costs Around $1000.

$1000, Which is Approximately the price of any Decent gaming PC that can run CoD4, or Gears of War on About medium to high settings.

With those 3 consoles alone, you'll have a far bigger library of new Releases then Pc will hope to have. Not To mention Most FPS' are already on Ps3 and 360.

PS3 has mouse and keyboard support, and I may have heard rambling about 360 supporting it as well.

So What can PC gamers Argue with? - Mouse and keyboard? Not any more. - Upgrading hardware? No one seems to like that... - Exclusive Games? Well...a handful of FPS, But most Console gamers already had months ago and Numerous RTS... - Online? Xbox Live is the best Online gaming platform, and PSN isn't too shabby either.

Just for the record, the PS3 whilst allowing you to connect a mouse and keyboard DOES NOT allow you to USE them to control games. Infact there is only ONE game on the PS3 that does allow for Keyboard/Mouse combo and that is Unreal Tournement 3. Every other game does not allow it and you are unlikely to ever see widespread support for Keyboard/Mouse on a console simply because it would put the joypad brigade at a serious disadvantage.

I am a PC gamer I have good reasons for being a PC gamer, I am not even going to try and convince anyone here why they should be a PC gamer because it is pointless. Play the games how you want to play them that is all there is too it. If you want to play games on a console then get on with it and do it, likewise for PC gamers too.

I actually play both console and PC games :) I have a PS3 because all my favorite games are on it like Gran Turismo, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid and Socom just to name a few.

Also most of PS3's great games never get's ported on the PC unlike Xbox 1 and 360, and that's the reason why I also have a gaming Laptop. Not only will I be able to surf the web, check my mails and those other great stuff but I can also play 360's great games like Halo, Gears Of Wars, Fable, Mass Effect and Forza Motorsport just to name a few :)

I feel that some games like GTA play better on console than on PC. I got San Andreas and got bored of it, never finished it while when I had GTA3 on PS2 I couldnt stop playing it, it has to do with the controls. Just like I dont think I would enjoy playing Age of Empires on a console a much as I enjoy playing it on PC

I play on bot the PC and my 360 and PS3. I like making maps for CSS and other Source games if I like them. Its just that some console owners do not know how much it really costs to upgrade their PC or buy a new PC to play some of the latest games.

Consoles win it for me because of the multiplayer. Gaming is just more fun with friends. I don't think price is really much of an issue. We all already have PCs, and unless yours is really crappy, it's usually about the same price or cheaper to upgrade your PC to a competent gaming level than to get a console. What also matters hugely to me is controls. Of course, for rts no sane man would pick a controller, but for everything else, including fpss, a controller wins hands down for me. I've got no problem with the mouse, but no keyboard will ever let you move as smoothly as an analogue stick, and the buttons are much easier to reach. Then of course you've got the fact that you don't have to worry about hard drive space or problems with windows and the ease of insert disc, play game, and the larger screen and comfy sofa. So yeah, I enjoy pc gaming but I always prefer to play on a console.

but at the moment i prefer consoles. Simply more genres.Has nothing to do with money.(for me, i'm a gamer) But PC gaming will always be superior to console gaming. Remember more people does'nt make something better.

Just because you hook a console to a 50 inch flatscreen doesnt mean you cant do the same for a PC. I got a tower tuned to my 50 inch LCD and it kicks just as much ass. Granted, I have Blizzard and Blizzard alone to thank for my obsession with PC gaming.

I have both consoles, PS3 and 360 that is, and I have an SLI PC, that I put together myself, that is capable of playing just about anything on the market, save Crysis. It would play but I'm not sure how it would run given it's nazi-ish craving for power.

I like both equally but i to be honest i buy a lot more console games. Pc games can have depth that console game dont but nothing is more frustrating than buying a brand new game and having issues. When i got bioshock for pc the game would crash every time i tried to get in one of the bubbles that takes you to the next area. I rebuilt my pc and still had the same issues. The only way to get around it was to save right before the bubble, shut the game down, start it back up, load the game i just saved and then get in the bubble. Talk about taking you out of the zone!

When i got to the the last guy in crysis (very high for all setting at 720p) and he came out of the water next to the aircraft carier my jaw hit the floor. The graphics were astonishing, it honestly gave me the chills it was so impressive. Moments like that are why i love pc gaming and just cant turn my back on it.

I'm torn between the two at the minute. Got a PC to replace my aging PS2 a few years ago, and was never off it, loving mods and the other benefits of PC gaming... Then the PS3 came along and until recently I've been using that non-stop. Then the new PC came :D 8 core processor, 2 gb RAM, Geforce 8800GT... maxing out Crysis... nice :) It's games like that that give PC gaming that edge, in my opinion :)

I mostly do my gaming on my XBOX because I prefer console gaming as it's more or less "plug & play". I do have some games on my computer like for example Crayon Carola or COD 2, but it's more for work.

I prefer gaming on consoles. Back in the days I used to play on both consoles and PC (like playing on PS1, then Xbox + PC). I used to play single player games and sports games on console, and multiplayer FPS on PC (mostly BF 1942, Vietnam and BF2).

But since the 360 was released, I have never gone back to the PC for gaming. There are a couple of reasons why. Mainly because of Xbox Live. You have a global friends list so that u always can see what game they'er playing, what game type etc, so when u turn on your console, u can see what game u wanna play. If you have 5 ppl on ur list playing cusom games in PGR4, then it might be fun to join in. If you have a couple of guys playing together in COD4 matchmaking, then join them if u'd like.

I also like the fact that all multiplayer games on the 360 has support for voice chat, so that it's easier to cooperate with them, and it's so fun to hear ppl saying "what the heck just happened?!" when u blow them to the sky when playing Rocket Race in Halo 3. If there are some annoying guys singing in the mic or talking trash? Just hit "Mute". Voilà!

That's why I've never gone back to the PC for gaming since december 2nd 2005 when the 360 launched in Norway, Europe. That pluss I don't have to upgrade my system every now and then, u don't have to look for patches on the net cause they download themselves from Xbox Live automatically when you sign in. Easy as hell.